Three physical therapy treatments for top of ankle pain

Pain at the top of your ankle can significantly affect your daily life. It can keep you from walking and doing other normal movements. Your pain can even keep you from playing your favorite recreational sport. 

It’s not that uncommon for people to feel pain in their ankle; medical researchers estimate that up to 15% of the general population has ankle pain at any given time. One option that can help reduce your top of ankle pain is physical therapy. A physical therapist has many techniques that can help decrease this type of pain, and there are three techniques that can be particularly effective. 

These three physical therapy methods can help decrease your top of ankle pain

Pain at the top of your ankle can come from several different issues. You might have developed a high ankle sprain, for instance, or you could have Achilles tendinitis. Ankle osteoarthritis can also cause pain in many parts of the ankle. 

Treating issues like these can involve the use of multiple physical therapy techniques. Three of the most commonly used therapy methods for ankle pain include: 

1. Manual therapy — This is also known as hands-on therapy. Manual therapy is a category that includes many techniques. These all involve a physical therapist using their hands to mobilize and manipulate soft tissue and joints. One study on ankle sprains shows that manual therapy can help decrease the pain of this injury. The study reveals that a four-week program of manual therapy decreased ankle pain by about 70%. 

2. Therapeutic exercises — Physical therapists can show you therapeutic exercises for your ankle. Some of these exercises are intended to stretch soft tissue that supports the ankle joint. Others can help build up strength in the ankle muscles. An ankle sprain study reveals that doing therapeutic exercises for four weeks helped reduce ankle pain by 39%. 

3. Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) — This technique involves a physical therapist applying pressure to soft tissue. They do so using a specially designed metal tool. IASTM is especially useful for reducing soft tissue tension and breaking down scar tissue. A study performed on Achilles tendinitis patients reports that five weeks of IASTM led to an eight-point improvement in pain scores on a 10-point scale. 

Armor Physical Therapy offers effective care for top of ankle pain

Wondering where to turn for effective physical therapy for your top of ankle pain? Our Armor Physical Therapy specialists are primed to help you get the care you need. We offer free screenings that can reveal the source of your ankle pain. In addition, our physical therapists are adept at constructing personalized therapy plans for each patient. Such plans can include the three therapy methods discussed above and others such as:

• Gait evaluation
• Sports performance training
• Shoe and insole recommendations
• Cupping 
• Myofascial release
• At-home care
• Virtual therapy

Contact us today for more information about our ankle pain treatment services or to schedule an initial appointment.